A sound(bite) called Malice

‘The public wants what the public gets', sang the prime minister's favourite group The Jam three decades ago, in a tirade against press barons and human apathy.

The public did not realise what it would get were successive governments closely and inextricably linked with the newspaper industry. While the general public has never held the profession in high esteem, even it did not expect to hear about a tabloid culture of hacking, blagging and police pay-offs. There is no doubt the activities of a small number of former senior journalists on the News of the World strayed well beyond the standards the population finds acceptable, but there is a danger their actions tar the reputation of all journalists, including financial writers. The industry...